Unequal love
Liza and Erast belong to different society levels – he is a well-to-do landowner, and she a simple poor peasant girl. but these two fall in love and want to be together. Surely Erast is not much interested in getting Liza for a wife, but still he wants to be with her. Unequal love happens very often, and happened even more often at the times described when money decided a lot. But if it were a real love it would have no boundaries, as when people love each other truly no society prejudices can matter. Erast chose money and Liza’s choice fell on death.
Nature
The theme of nature is developed in the story and serves as a background for the most of the scenes. It is near the river when the beloved declared their love for each other, it is at the oaks when they became close and Liza lost her purity. And after that episode strong rain poured from the sky, and the narrator himself emphasizes it – as if nature burst into tears for Liza’s fate. Nature was a witness of their love and nature was a witness of Liza’s death.
Maternity love
The narrator very tenderly describes how Liza’s mother worries about her daughter, how she prays for her happy future and wishes all the best for her the only daughter. When she heard of Liza’s death, she spoke no word but closed her eyes and died. Maternity love is the only kind of love that knows no prejudices, it is pure and sincere.
